The present invention relates to a coating apparatus, a printing apparatus, an imaging apparatus, an imaging method, an imaging medium, a printing system, and a printing method.
As a technique of this type of printing apparatus, there are known the techniques disclosed in, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-152504 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,406), Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-28860 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,293), and Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-71983. All of the above mentioned publications are incorporated by reference.
In the printing apparatus of Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-152504, as shown in FIG. 29, plate cylinders 1041 to 1044 and blanket cylinders 1051 to 1054, which were positioned at an ink coating apparatus setting side separately from a feeding side for web paper and a discharging side for paper cut into sheets, were arranged in the same frame to be slidably drawn. This resulted in easy plate replacements, and easy change of a print format, and operability of the printing apparatus was improved.
In Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-28860, as shown in FIG. 30, in order to carry out multicolor printing on continuous paper, a plurality of print units was vertically arranged, thereby reducing a setting floor area for the printing apparatus. Also, the ink coating apparatus were provided on the same side, so that easy plate replacements were achieved. In the printing apparatus of Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-71983, as shown in FIG. 31, spaces for setting dampening water apparatuses are omitted by use of waterless plates. Instead, a plate feed and discharge device was provided to the omitted space for each plate cylinder so as to improve operability.
As a technique of the coating apparatus used in these printing apparatus, there are known the techniques disclosed in, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-178872, Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-76438, and Examined Japanese Patent Publication No.4-68147. These techniques are used as an ink coating technique for the printing apparatus, and frequently employed mainly in waterless lithographic printing, a letterpress printing, etc. In particular, Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-68147 disclosed a coating apparatus having a coating roller with an elastic surface, and a doctor blade, which freely moved back and forth to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller and controlled a thickness of a coated ink film to be formed on the outer peripheral surface. This was an extremely useful coating technique when ink having high viscosity was used.
The feature of the techniques used in these coating apparatus is that the doctor blade is used as a method for setting the thickness of the ink film to be applied onto the coating roller. For example, in the technique of Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-68147, as shown in FIG. 32, an ink unit 1002, serving as an ink coating apparatus, comprises a form roller 1201, a doctor blade 1202, an eccentric cam 1203 for controlling the movement of the doctor blade, ink distributing rollers 1210, 1211, and an auxiliary form roller 1212 having an elastic surface. The form roller 1201, the doctor blade 1202, side plates 1207 and 1208, which are arranged at both sides of the form roller 1201 in its axial direction, and an ink fountain 1206 form an ink fountain space 1205, which is filled with printing ink i.
A small gear (not shown) rotating solidly with the form roller 1201 is engaged with a large gear (not shown) rotating solidly with a plate cylinder 1015. Thus, the form roller 1201 and the plate cylinder 1015 are synchronized with each other and rotated at the same circumferential speed at their contact section.
The ink unit 1002 is configured so that the eccentric cam 1203 attached to a shaft 1204 is rotated so as to move the doctor blade 1202 back and fourth in a direction of an arrow A, thereby changing the engagement between the doctor blade 1202 and the form roller 1201 in order to control the thickness of the coated ink film formed on the outer periphery of the form roller 1201.
Conventionally, a printing plate, serving as an imaging medium used in such a printing apparatus, has been generally manufactured by a photomechanical process in which a with type film (lithographic film) for plate-making is applied to a PS plate (presensitized plate or the like). Since the plate-making apparatus and the printing apparatus are normally independent devices, the positioning of the imaging medium of each color in the multicolor printing is carried out by the following process.
At the outset register marks were drawn on the imaging medium for each color. Then, the imaging medium for each color was installed around each plate cylinder of the printing apparatus. Ink was fed to the imaging medium of each color, and printing was performed on a recording medium such as paper. Then, the positions of the imaging mediums of the respective colors in the printing apparatus and the print timing were adjusted until the positions of the register marks printed on the recording mediums of the respective colors coincided with each other. Thus the mutual positions of the imaging mediums of the respective colors were determined.
In recent years, there has been increased the use of the imaging apparatus for making the printing plate, which serves as the imaging medium, based on digital imaging information in accordance with imaging data. As an imaging medium fixing method in these imaging apparatuses, there are known techniques disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No.3-24549 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,933) and Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-8366, which are incorporated by reference.
In the apparatus of Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-24549, as shown in FIG. 33, after imaging on a web imaging medium, the imaging medium is cut to a predetermined size, developed and carried by a transfer roller or a conveyor belt.
In Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-8366, as shown in FIG. 34, the imaging medium is wound around an attaching member and rotated, and imaging is executed by irradiation of an energy beam. The imaging medium is fixed to the plate cylinders with flat-headed screws, or adhered thereto with adhesive.
As a technique in which the imaging medium is wound around an attaching member and rotated, and imaging is executed by irradiation of the energy beam, the imaging apparatus disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-8366 was configured as described as follows.
That is, the attaching member to which the imaging medium was attached was rotated and the energy beam scans in a circumferential direction of the imaging medium. Also, the laser block having a semiconductor laser is scanned in the axial direction of the attaching member by use of a ball screw.
The shaft of the attaching member and the ball screw are arranged to be parallel with the axial direction of the attaching member. The scanning in the axial direction is executed for each scanning in the circumferential direction while the attaching member is rotated. The scanning is performed over the entire surface of the imaging medium thereby imaging is executed.
The imaging apparatus disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-72311 is configured as follows.
That is, as shown in FIG. 35, the imaging medium, which is wound around the attaching member and rotates, is irradiated with the energy beam from a plurality of recording heads having a plurality of energy beam irradiation sources, so as to execute imaging. The imaging medium, which is wound around the attaching member and rotates, is scanned in the circumferential direction by its rotation and simultaneously, the recording heads are scanned in the axial direction of the attaching member by a linear motor, etc. Therefore, the rotation shaft of the attaching member and a carriage apparatus such as a linear motor, which scans the plurality of recording heads in the axial direction of the attaching member, are arranged in parallel with respect to the axial direction of the attaching member.
The energy beam irradiation position is determined by detecting means for detecting the position of a beam spot light of the energy beam and means for correcting the irradiation position of the beam spot light to the attaching member based on the output from the detecting means.
In the printing apparatus of Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-152504 shown in FIG. 29, there was a problem in that it was impossible to carry out a back face printing after feeding a sheet of paper. When the interval between grippers for gripping paper on an impression cylinder 1031 in the circumferential direction is shorter than a length of the sheet of paper to be printed in the progress direction the paper is sandwiched between the pressure cylinder 1031 and blanket cylinders at two portions simultaneously so that the paper is suffered some tension. As a result, the printing position may shift, which is a problem. Moreover, if the interval between the grippers for gripping paper is increased in order to solve the problem, the ink coating apparatuses could not be arranged for three or more color printing, which is also a problem.
On the other hand, if the impression cylinder 1031 is enlarged in order to arrange the ink coating apparatus, the diameter of the impression cylinder 1031 becomes too large, and the entire printing apparatus must be enlarged. As a result, a large setting space for such a printing apparatus was required and the cost of the impression cylinder 1031 was increased, so that the printing apparatus became expensive.
The method disclosed in Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-28860 was limited to the printing apparatus using continuous webs, and could not be applied to the printing apparatus using sheets of paper. In the technique disclosed in Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-71983, since one blanket cylinder was shared by two ink coating apparatus, there occurred a problem in which process color printing could not be carried out. Also, since one blanket cylinder was shared by two ink coating apparatus, the distance of the ink coating apparatus could not be increased due to the structure of the printing apparatus, so that workability of plate replacements became worse. In the technique disclosed in Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-71983, a plate feeding and discharging apparatus was used to improve workability. Though the plate was easily replaced by use of the plate feeding and discharging apparatus, there occurred a problem in which the printing apparatus became expensive.
In the ink coating apparatus disclosed in Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-68147, there was a problem in which striped defects were generated in the circumferential direction of the surface of the coated ink film because of paper dust clogged at the doctor blade portion as shown in FIG. 6. In other words, when the doctor blade portion is clogged with paper dust, a form roller 1201 bends at the clogging portion and escapes therefrom. Since the thickness of the ink layer of this portion is increased and the portion between the doctor blade 1202 and the form roller 1201 is clogged with paper dust, striped defects 1252 are generated in an ink layer in the circumferential direction.
Since the defects were left in the ink layer on the coating roller as a deep groove, such troublesome defects could not be easily eliminated even if the distributing roller is simply used.
In the imaging apparatus disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-24549, the printing plate, which is the imaging medium exposed and developed, is cut by a built-in cutting apparatus, thereafter the printing plate is automatically on the imaging apparatus. According to such the imaging apparatus, the positioning of the mutual printing positions of imaging mediums of the respective colors was not accurately made in the multicolor printing apparatus. As a result, there was a problem in which the mutual printing positions of imaging mediums of the respective colors had to be adjusted again before continuous printing was executed.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-8366 describes a method in which the imaging medium is fixed to the plate cylinder with a flat-headed screw, or adhered thereto with adhesive. However, the positioning of the imaging medium and that of the print pattern cannot be accurately made. Moreover, this publication describes no specific method other than the positioning of the imaging medium and that of the print pattern. Therefore, in the imaging medium prepared by the apparatus as described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-8366, there was no other way than the aforementioned method of positioning the register marks in connection with the positioning method at attaching of the imaging medium to the printing apparatus.
On the other hand, the printing apparatus having a laser head for imaging is known. In this apparatus, imaging is executed after imaging medium is wound around the plate cylinder, and ink is directly fed and printing is executed. In this apparatus, if the positional relationship between the plate cylinder and the imaging head are made to completely corresponding to each other for each color, the positioning of the imaging medium can be omitted or largely simplified at the printing time.
However, the above printing apparatus can neither perform imaging during the printing and nor print during the imaging when the imaging head is provided therein. It cannot avoid a decrease in productivity as a printing apparatus or independent apparatus. In addition, since the imaging head occupies most of the manufacturing cost of the imaging apparatus. If the head is provided for each plate cylinder of each color, the manufacturing cost of the entire apparatus is largely increased. One imaging apparatus is not necessary for one printing apparatus. Generally, imaging mediums to be used for many printing apparatus are made by one imaging apparatus. As compared with the case in which the printing apparatus and the imaging apparatus are separately provided as a different structure, the structure in which the imaging apparatus is provided in the printing apparatus as in the above-mentioned apparatus has demerits in terms of productivity and the manufacturing cost.
As explained above, the mutual positioning of the image patterns for the respective colors in the multicolor printing was performed as the follows. That is, the positioning was made by adjusting the position of the plates in the printing apparatus and the timing such that the positions of the register marks printed on the recording mediums for the respective colors were coincide with each other.
Hence, simple installing of the imaging medium S which were directly prepared by the imaging apparatus to the printing apparatus cannot achieve accurate positioning of the imaging mediums.
Moreover, there has been no imaging apparatus in which some contrivance was added to a positioning hole size, which was necessary for adjusting the positions of the imaging mediums, and chamfering of end portions of the imaging mediums for another reason. Moreover, there was no imaging apparatus in which the imaging medium attaching member was subjected to a surface coating process to improve accuracy of attaching the imaging medium to the imaging apparatus.
In the configuration that a beam irradiation apparatus having a plurality of beam irradiation sources is continuously scanned in the direction of a rotation axis of the attaching member at a fixed speed as continuously rotating the attaching member around which the imaging medium is wound at a fixed speed, there was a problem in which the image was obliquely formed with respect to a reference direction of an original imaging area of the imaging medium.
In the imaging apparatus as shown in FIG. 34, the imaging medium is rotated in a direction of an arrow R (rotational direction of the attaching member) at peripheral speed Vr, and that the beam irradiation apparatus is scanned in a direction of an arrow S (direction of a rotation axis of the attaching member) at feeding speed Vy. As shown in FIG. 27A, it would be ideal if imaging dots 2092 formed in an imaging area 2091 of an imaging medium 2018 would be arranged in a matrix form of rectangle along an arrow direction 93 of the imaging area 2091.
However, in the imaging apparatus as shown in FIG. 34, since the beam irradiation apparatus is scanned in the direction of the rotation axis of the attaching member as rotating the attaching member, if the imaging medium 2018 is fixed to a plate cylinder 2011, serving as the attaching member, such that the reference direction of the imaging area is parallel to the rotation axis of the plate cylinder 2011, and the scanning direction of the beam irradiation apparatus completely coincide with the direction of an arrow S (xcex8=0 in FIGS. 27A to 27C), there occurred a problem in which the imaging dots 2092 were deformed to be a parallelogram as shown in FIGS. 27B and 27C.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a multicolor printing apparatus in which the disadvantages of the prior art can be improved in that a back face printing can be easily carried out, and a good workability can be obtained.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a multicolor printing apparatus in which a good printing quality can be obtained, no large space is necessary for setting a printing apparatus, and a manufacturing cost is reasonable.
A third object of the present invention is to provide an duplex printing method for providing a good printing quality at a small space easily.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus in which disadvantages of the prior art can be improved and striped defects are not easily generated in the circumferential direction of the surface of the coated ink film because of paper dust even when ink having high viscosity is coated.
A fifth object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus in which the disadvantages of the prior art can be improved in that the positioning of the printing position at printing in that can be easily realized in a state that an imaging apparatus and a printing apparatus are maintained as independent structures, and provide a printing apparatus and a printing system, and an imaging method, and a printing method.
A sixth object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus with a reasonable cost in which disadvantages of the prior art can be improved in that an image can be formed without having an inclination with respect to the imaging medium, the positioning of the imaging medium at an imaging time can be easily carried out where an imaging apparatus and a printing apparatus are independent structures, and an inclination of the image position in the imaging medium can be restrained and corrected, so that the positioning of printing plate in a printing apparatus can be easily carried out, and provide an imaging method and a printing system.
According to the present invention, there is provided a multicolor printing apparatus including a printing apparatus comprising a plurality of blanket cylinders normally-contacting to a impression cylinder plate cylinders normally-contacting to the respective blanket cylinders; and ink coating apparatus for coating the respective plate cylinders with ink, wherein the ink coating apparatus are arranged substantially in a direction of gravity, a feeding apparatus for feeding sheets of recording mediums to the printing apparatus and a discharging apparatus for discharging sheets of recording mediums are provided on a side opposite to a setting side of the ink coating apparatus with respect to the blanket cylinders.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus wherein the number of the impression cylinder is the plural number.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus wherein the feeding apparatus for feeding sheets of recording mediums is positioned at a lower side than the discharging apparatus such that the sheets of recording mediums flow from a lower side to an upper side.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus wherein each of the ink coating apparatus comprises a coating roller with an elastic surface, and a doctor blade, structured to move back and forth freely to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, for controlling the thickness of coated ink film formed on the outer peripheral surface.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus wherein the impression cylinders are double-diametered impression cylinders, and the transfer of the recording mediums between the double-diametered impression cylinders is carried out by a triple-diametered transfer cylinder.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus wherein the impression cylinders are triple-diametered impression cylinders, and the transfer of the recording mediums between the triple-diametered impression cylinders is carried out by a double-diametered transfer cylinder.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus further comprising means for drying coloring agent on the sheets of recording mediums after discharging printed sheets of recording mediums between the final blanket cylinder and the final impression cylinder.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus further comprising a discharge station on which the printed sheets of recording mediums are stacked after the printed sheets of recording mediums are discharged between the final blanket cylinder and the final impression cylinder, the discharge station is configured to be horizontally rotatable, thereby the stacked printed sheets of recording mediums can be rotatable in a 180xc2x0 arc with respect to the direction of a normal line.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus further comprising discharge station moving means for moving the discharge station to the feeding position of the recording mediums of the feeding means after the stacked printed sheets of recording mediums are rotated in a 180xc2x0 arc with respect to the direction of the normal line of the recording mediums.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the multicolor printing apparatus wherein the plate cylinders will have waterless plates to be wound therearound.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a duplex printing method, in a printing apparatus comprises a plurality of blanket cylinders normally-contacting to an impression cylinder, plate cylinders normally-contacting to the respective blanket cylinders, and ink coating apparatus, arranged in a substantially gravity direction, for coating the respective plate cylinders with ink, the duplex printing method comprising the steps of: feeding recording mediums to the blanket cylinders of the printing apparatus from a recording medium feeding position on a side opposite to a side where the ink coating apparatus are arranged; passing the sheets of recording mediums between the blanket cylinders and the impression cylinders so as to transfer an ink image onto a first surface of the recording mediums; stacking the recording mediums discharged from the opposite side on a discharge station; rotating the discharge station in a 180xc2x0 arc with respect to the direction of a normal line of the recording mediums so as to feed the stacked recording mediums to the recording medium feeding position; and passing the recording mediums again between the blanket cylinders and the impression cylinder so as to transfer an ink image onto a second surface of the recording mediums.
According to the present invention, there is provided a coating apparatus comprising: a coating roller with an elastic surface; and a doctor blade, configured to move back and forth freely to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, for controlling the thickness of coated film formed on the outer peripheral surface; wherein the coating apparatus is provided at least one flattening member for flattening a surface of the coated film on the coating roller.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the coating apparatus wherein a plurality of flattening members for flattening the surface of the coated film is provided.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the coating apparatus wherein at least one flattening member for flattening the surface of the coated film is a blade.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the coating apparatus wherein at least one flattening member for flattening the surface of the coated film is a roller, and its peripheral speed is lower than the coating roller or its rotational direction is the same as the coating roller.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the coating apparatus wherein at least one flattening member for flattening the surface of the coated film is positioned at an upstream side of the doctor blade with respect to the direction where the coating roller progresses.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the coating apparatus wherein at least one flattening member for flattening the surface of the coated film is positioned at a downstream side of the doctor blade with respect to the direction where the coating roller progresses on a coating surface.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the coating apparatus wherein at least one flattening member for flattening the surface of the coated film is a blade, front edges of leading sides of the doctor blade and the blade as the flattening member, are formed to be curved, and the radius of curvature of the doctor blade is the same as that of the flattening blade or larger than that of the flattening blade.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the coating apparatus, further comprising: an auxiliary coating roller provided at each of the upstream and downstream sides of the coating roller to the direction where the surface to be coated by the coating roller progresses; and ink distributing rollers, provided between the coating roller and the auxiliary coating rollers, contacting the coating roller and the auxiliary coating roller simultaneously and oscillating in the axial direction.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus comprising: a coating apparatus and plate cylinders around which printing plates for receiving ink supply from the coating apparatus are wound.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a coating apparatus comprising: a coating roller with an elastic surface; and a doctor blade, configured to move back and forth freely to an outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, for controlling the thickness of coated film formed on the outer peripheral surface; wherein the coating apparatus is provided at least one auxiliary coating roller provided at each of the upstream and downstream sides of the coating roller to the direction where the surface to be coated by the coating roller progresses; and ink distributing rollers, provided between the coating roller and the auxiliary coating rollers, contacting the coating roller and the auxiliary coating rollers simultaneously and oscillating in the axial direction.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a coating apparatus comprising: a coating roller with an elastic surface; and a doctor blade, configured to move back and forth freely to an outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, for controlling the thickness of coated film formed on the outer peripheral surface; wherein the coating apparatus is provided at least one auxiliary coating roller provided at each of the upstream and downstream sides of the coating roller to the direction where the surface to be coated by the coating roller progresses; ink distributing rollers, provided between the coating roller and the auxiliary coating rollers, contacting the coating roller and the auxiliary coating rollers simultaneously and oscillating in the axial direction; and at least one flattening member for flattening the surface of the coated film on the coating roller.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a coating apparatus comprising: a coating roller with an elastic surface; and a doctor blade, configured to move back and forth freely to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, for controlling the thickness of coated film formed on the outer peripheral surface, wherein the coating roller is formed of a non-elastic rotation shaft and an elastic member having a multilayer structure in which at least an uppermost surface layer wrapping the rotation shaft is formed of polyurethane, and hardness of each elastic layer of the elastic member of the coating roller becomes higher than an inner layer as approaching to the surface layer.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the coating apparatus wherein surface hardness of the coating roller surface layer is more than 40xc2x0 of rubber hardness based on JISA.
According to the present invention, there is provided a printing system comprising: an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on the imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging; and a printing apparatus for supplying ink to the imaging medium so as to execute printing on recording mediums, wherein a positioning method of the imaging medium in the printing apparatus is substantially the same as that of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein an fixing method of the imaging medium to the printing apparatus is substantially the same as that of the imaging medium to the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein both the imaging apparatus and the printing apparatus are configured such that the imaging medium is wound around plate cylinders, and the plate cylinders of the imaging apparatus and that of the printing apparatus have substantially the same configuration.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus and that of the imaging medium in the printing apparatus are carried out by abutting an abutting portion processed to a predetermined shape in the imaging medium against an abutment receiving portion of the imaging apparatus or the printing apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of the positioning holes provided in the imaging medium detected by positioning hole detecting means provided in the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the printing apparatus is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the printing apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the printing apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of the positioning holes provided in the imaging medium detected by positioning hole detecting means provided in the printing apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of position of a register mark, formed on the imaging medium prior to imaging, detected by register mark position detecting means provided in the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the printing apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of a position of a register mark, formed on the imaging medium prior to printing, detected by register mark position detecting means provided in the printing apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system, wherein a positioning method of an image on the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of a position of a register mark formed on an imaging medium attaching member of the imaging apparatus detected by register mark position detecting means provided in the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the positioning method of a printing position in the printing apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of a position of a register mark formed on an imaging medium attaching member of the printing apparatus detected by register mark position detecting means formed in the printing apparatus.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printing method comprising the steps of: positioning an imaging medium at an imaging apparatus; generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on the imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging; positioning the imaging medium at a printing apparatus by substantially the same positioning method as the imaging apparatus; and feeding ink to the imaging medium so as to execute printing on a recording medium.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printing method comprising the steps: positioning an imaging mediums at an imaging apparatus; positioning the imaging medium, on which a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data is generated by irradiation of an energy beam, at a printing apparatus by substantially the same positioning method as the imaging apparatus; and feeding ink to the imaging medium so as to execute printing on a recording medium.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on an imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging, wherein the imaging medium is positioned by substantially the same method as a printing apparatus for feeding ink onto the imaging medium imaged by the imaging apparatus so as to execute printing on a recording medium.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the imaging apparatus wherein the imaging medium is wound around plate cylinder as rotating the plate cylinder in a first rotation direction, imaging is executed in this state, and the imaging medium is detached from the plate cylinder as rotating the plate cylinder in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, which uses an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on an imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging, for printing on a recording medium by feeding ink onto the imaging medium imaged by the imaging apparatus, wherein the imaging medium is positioned by substantially the same method as the imaging apparatus.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging method for executing imaging using an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on an imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging, wherein the imaging medium is positioned at the imaging apparatus by substantially the same method as a printing apparatus for printing on a recording medium by feeding ink onto the imaging medium imaged by the imaging apparatus.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus, which comprises a feeding apparatus for feeding an imaging medium to the imaging apparatus and a discharging apparatus for discharging the medium from the imaging apparatus on the same side, wherein the imaging medium fed from the feeding apparatus is wound around plate cylinder as rotating the plate cylinder in a first rotation direction, imaging is executed in this state, the imaging medium is detached from the plate cylinder as rotating the plate cylinder in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation directions so as to discharge the imaging medium by the discharging apparatus.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus, in which a positioning method of an imaging medium is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus, wherein for use of a resin film as a base material of the imaging medium, when the engagement state between the positioning holes provided in the imaging medium and the positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus is set such that an opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is larger than an outer diameter of each of the positioning pins, the diameter difference is set to be smaller than the dot pitch, and when the engagement state is set such that the opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is smaller than the outer diameter of each of the positioning pins, the diameter difference is set to be within a range where the positioning holes are not broken by the engagement.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, in which a positioning method of an imaging medium is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the printing apparatus, wherein for use of a resin film as a base material of the imaging medium, when the engagement state between the positioning holes provided in the imaging medium and the positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus is set such that an opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is larger than an outer diameter of each of the positioning pins, the diameter difference is set to be smaller than the dot pitch, and when the engagement state is set such that the opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is smaller than the outer diameter of each of the positioning pins, the diameter difference is set to be within a range where the positioning holes are not broken by the engagement.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus, in which a positioning method of an imaging medium is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus, wherein for use of metal as a base material of the imaging medium, when the engagement state between the positioning holes provided on the imaging medium and the positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus is set such that an opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is larger than an outer diameter of each of the positioning pins and the diameter difference is smaller than the dot pitch.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, in which a positioning method of an imaging medium is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided on the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the printing apparatus, wherein for use of metal as a base material of the imaging medium, when the engagement state between the positioning holes provided in the imaging medium and the positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus is set such that an opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is larger than an outer diameter of each of the positioning pins and the diameter difference is smaller than the dot pitch.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system, in which a positioning method of an imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus, wherein for use of a resin film as a base material of the imaging medium, when the engagement state between the positioning holes provided in the imaging medium and positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus is set such that an opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is larger than an outer diameter of each of the positioning pins, the diameter difference is set to be smaller than the dot pitch, and when the engagement state is set such that the opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is smaller than the outer diameter of each of the positioning pins, the diameter difference is set to be within a range where the positioning holes are not broken by the engagement.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system, in which a positioning method of an imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus, wherein for use of metal as a base material of the imaging medium, when the engagement state between the positioning holes provided on the imaging medium and positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus is set such that an opening diameter of each of the positioning holes is larger than an outer diameter of each of the positioning pins and the diameter difference is smaller than the dot pitch.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system in which a positioning method of an imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging medium with positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus, wherein at least one of the sizes, the arrangement, and the shapes of the positioning pins and the positioning holes is changed in each of the cases when the base material of the imaging medium is the resin film and when the base material of the imaging medium is metal.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging medium imaged by an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on the imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging, wherein at least a side end portion on the opposite side surface to the imaging surface of the imaging medium, in which the imaging medium is started to be wound around an imaging medium attaching member of the imaging apparatus, is chamfered.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging medium imaged by an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on the imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging, wherein the imaging medium is cut from an opposite side surface of an imaging surface when being cut to a predetermined size.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on the imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging, wherein at least the circumferential surface of an attaching member around which the imaging medium is wound is treated so that it is harder than the base material of the imaging medium.
According to the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on the imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging, wherein the imaging apparatus comprising: an attaching member for winding the imaging medium therearound; a motor for rotating the attaching member; and scanning means for scanning an irradiation apparatus of the energy beam in substantially the same direction as the direction of the rotation axis of the attaching member, wherein the scanning direction is inclined against the rotation axis of the attaching member substantially by a ratio of a scanning speed of the scanning means to a peripheral speed of the surface of the imaging medium wound around the attaching member when the irradiation apparatus is scanned in substantially the same direction as the direction of the rotation axis of the attaching member.
According to the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on the imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging, wherein the imaging apparatus comprising: an attaching member for winding the imaging medium therearound; a motor for rotating the attaching member; scanning means for scanning an irradiation apparatus of the energy beam in substantially the same direction as the direction of the rotation axis of the attaching member; and positioning means for positioning the imaging medium such that a reference direction of an imaging area is inclined against the rotation axis of the attaching member substantially by a ratio of a scanning speed of the scanning means to a peripheral speed of the surface of the imaging medium wound around the attaching member when the imaging medium is attached to the attaching member.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the imaging apparatus wherein the scanning direction of the irradiation apparatus of the energy beam is inclined against the rotation axis of the attaching member substantially by a ratio of a scanning speed of the scanning means to a peripheral speed of the surface of the imaging medium wound around the attaching member.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging method wherein when imaging is executed by attaching an imaging medium to an attaching member, rotating the attaching member, scanning an irradiation apparatus of energy beam in substantially the same direction as the direction of a rotation axis of the attaching member and generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on the imaging mediums by irradiation of the energy beam, a reference direction of an imaging area is inclined against the rotation axis of the attaching member substantially by a ratio of a scanning speed of the irradiation apparatus to a peripheral speed of the surface of the imaging medium wound around the attaching member when the imaging medium is wound around the attaching member.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an imaging method wherein when the irradiation apparatus of energy beam is scanned, a scanning direction of the energy beam is inclined against the rotation axis of the attaching member and about a beam irradiation direction of the irradiation apparatus as the rotation axis substantially by a ratio of a scanning speed of the irradiation apparatus to a peripheral speed of the surface of the imaging medium wound around the attaching member.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printing system comprising: an imaging apparatus for generating a change in an imaging characteristic according to imaging data on an imaging medium by irradiation of an energy beam so as to execute imaging; and a printing apparatus for printing on a recording medium by feeding ink onto the imaging medium imaged, wherein the imaging apparatus comprises an attaching member for imaging to wind the imaging medium therearound, a motor for rotating the attaching member for imaging, and scanning means for scanning an irradiation apparatus of the energy beam in substantially the same direction as the direction of the rotation axis of the attaching member, and the printing apparatus comprises an attaching member for printing to wind the imaging medium therearound after imaging, and a motor for rotating the attaching member for printing, the printing system wherein the direction where the imaging medium is wound around the each attaching member is different substantially by a ratio of a scanning speed of the scanning means of the irradiation apparatus of energy beam to a peripheral speed of the surface of the imaging medium wound around the attaching member in each of the cases when the imaging medium is wound around the attaching member for imaging and when the imaging medium after imaging is wound around the attaching member for printing.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the scanning direction of the irradiation apparatus of energy beam is inclined against the rotation axis of the attaching member and about a beam irradiation direction of the irradiation apparatus as the rotation axis substantially by a ratio of a scanning speed of the scanning means to a peripheral speed of the surface of the imaging medium wound around the attaching member.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein a positioning method of the imaging medium in the printing apparatus is substantially the same as that of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus except for the difference in the winding direction.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein a attaching method of the imaging medium in the printing apparatus is substantially the same as that of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus except for the difference in the winding direction.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the printing system wherein the attaching member of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus and that of a printing plate in the printing apparatus have substantially the same configuration excepting the difference in the winding direction.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the imaging apparatus wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out by engaging positioning holes provided in the imaging mediums with positioning pins provided in the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the imaging apparatus wherein the positioning method of the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus and that of the imaging medium in the printing apparatus are carried out by abutting an abutting portion of the imaging medium processed to a predetermined shape against an abutment receiving portion of the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the imaging apparatus wherein a positioning method of an image on the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of the positioning holes provided on the imaging medium detected by positioning hole detecting means provided in the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the imaging apparatus wherein a positioning method of an image on the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of a position of a register mark formed on the imaging medium attaching member of the imaging apparatus detected by register mark position detecting means provided in the imaging apparatus.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the imaging apparatus wherein a positioning method of an image on the imaging medium in the imaging apparatus is carried out based on a detection result of a position of a register mark, formed on the imaging medium prior to imaging, detected by register mark position detecting means provided in the imaging apparatus.
In the present invention, a plurality of cylinders normally-contacts each other, means that the cylinders contact in a state that the axial directions of the respective cylinder are substantially parallel to each other, and ink or an ink image can be transferred from one of the cylinder to another.
In the present invention, xe2x80x9can imaging mediumxe2x80x9d indicates a film and a plate for manufacturing a printing plate etc, which have a multilayer structure containing layers showing specific reactions to irradiation by a beam irradiation source such as a laser source.
In many cases, the specific reactions are classified into a photon mode and a heat mode depending on the difference in the reaction.
In the case of the photon mode, a layer showing the specific reaction, that is, a photosensitive layer, physical and chemical properties such as solubility to specific solvent are changed by optical energy of the beam. For example, a soluble property is changed to an insoluble property, and vice versa. Also, there is a possibility that a change in light transmission, and occurrence of an affinity for specific solution in the surface layer will be brought about. Then, a developing process using specific solvent is done after an imaging process, so that a film plate or a printing plate are made.
In the case of the heat mode, there occur changes such as a layer showing the specific reaction, that is, a heat sensitive layer is removed by heat energy of the beam, or the heat sensitive layer is likely to be removed, or the heat sensitive layer is not easily removed. If an irradiation section or a non-irradiation section is not completely removed by only the beam irradiation, a physical post-process is added thereto, so that the irradiation section or the non-irradiation section is completely removed. Thus, physical projections and/or depressions are generated on the surface of the imaging medium, and the film plate or the printing plate are formed.
As the film plate for printing of the photon mode, there are a film plate having a photosensitive layer such as silver salt, a film plate having a resin layer of a photodislocation type or a resin layer of a photopolymerization type. As the film plate for printing of the heat mode, there is a film plate having a thermal decomposition layer, a thermal bonding layer, or a thermal condensing layer.
As the plate for printing, as described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-186750 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,731), incorporated by reference, there is favorably used the press plate comprising a substrate, a heat sensitive layer (photosensitive layer) formed thereon, and a surface layer formed on the heat sensitive layer, wherein the heat sensitive layer and the surface layer have a different affinity for printing liquid such as ink or liquid of ink repulsion (dampening water).
Moreover, a primer layer or the like is formed between the heat sensitive layer (photosensitive layer) and the substrate, and the difference in the affinity may be provided between the primer layer and the surface layer. As the heat sensitive layer for the heat mode, a material in which carbon black is diffused to nitrocellulose, or the metal film such as titanium oxide is favorably used.
Thus, in the specification of the present invention, the difference in the shape, or the chemical affinity, or the optical property such as light transmission between the portion subjected to the beam irradiation and the portion not subjected to the beam irradiation are referred to as physical properties of the imaging medium.
In the present invention, the beam irradiation sources includes a source for generating a beam of light such as a laser beam (including electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, visible radiation, infrared rays), and a generation source of particle beams such as electron beams. Also, other than the beams having the defined directivity, the following sources are included in the beam irradiation source of the present invention. That is, there are included all sources, which can resultingly cause the change in the physical properties in the minute portion of the imaging medium by the discharge of such as a stylus electrode used in electrostatic printers.
The most favorable beam irradiation source is an optical fiber emission end to which the emission end of the laser light source or the light source is coupled. To miniaturize the apparatus, a semiconductor laser is favorably used as the laser light source. To obtain high power, a gas laser such as an argon ion laser, a carbon dioxide laser, or a solid laser such as a YAG laser is favorably used.
In the present invention, xe2x80x9cthe attaching member of the imaging mediumxe2x80x9d is the member for attaching the imaging medium to the imaging apparatus or the printing apparatus in one. Also, the attaching member is formed such that the imaging medium is fixed or moved to a predetermined position with respect to imaging means (a head for imaging) of the imaging apparatus or the recording medium transfer path of the printing apparatus. In the type of apparatus in which the imaging medium is attached to the plate cylinders, the plate cylinders serve as the attaching member. Moreover, in the type of apparatus in which the imaging medium is attached to the interior of the cylinder drum, the cylinder drum serves as the attaching member. Also, in the case of the flat bed arrangement, the base on which the imaging medium is loaded is used as the attaching member.
In the present invention, xe2x80x9cthe image medium positioning methodxe2x80x9d indicates the method of positioning the imaging medium at an attaching member in attaching the imaging medium to the attaching member of an imaging apparatus or a printing apparatus. As a preferred embodiment, there is a method using the positioning holes provided in the imaging medium and the corresponding positioning pins provided in the attaching member.
In the present invention, xe2x80x9cthe breakage of the positioning holesxe2x80x9d indicates the state in which the positioning holes are deformed by a physical force so that the original function is lost. As the breakage of the positioning holes, for example, there are the expansion of the positioning holes due to plastic deformation, the shift of the hole center position, and the generation of cracks around the holes.
In the present invention, xe2x80x9cthe imaging medium attaching methodxe2x80x9d indicates the method of attaching the imaging medium to the attaching member in attaching the imaging medium to the attaching member of the imaging apparatus or the printing apparatus.